News Article

New Efforts To Legalize Gay Marriage In NJ

By Phil Gregory, WBGO News
Trenton. February 22, 2013

New efforts are being made to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey.

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora says Democratic leaders in the legislature have made a commitment to attempt an override this session of Governor Christie’s veto of the marriage equality bill.

“In the meantime we’re going to take a leadership position with the various gay stakeholders and organizations to get people marching out there to persuade not only public opinion but to have some of the calcitrant members in both the Senate and Assembly to vote the right way.”

Assemblyman Tim Eustace knows that every previous effort to overturn a Christie veto failed, but he’s hoping this one can succeed.

“Well I think we have solid support with the leadership and that’s the first thing. The next thing is we have a coalition of allies and gay groups who are willing to work with us on the ground. So it will make a big difference.”

If there are not enough votes to override the veto, gay marriage supporters plan to pursue a constitutional amendment to let voters decide the issue.

Governor Christie is confident there will not be enough votes for an override. He has no problem with same-sex marriage being put on the ballot.

“I’ve said all along that’s the right way to make this decision. That it is a major societal change and that type of major societal change should be decided by the people who it’s going to affect.”

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James Reiss has written six books of poetry. His critically acclaimed work has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire Magazine, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Chicago Tribune The Nation, Atlantic Monthly Magazine, and Slate.His poems have been published in numerous textbooks, both in English and Spanish. Reiss is a Professor Emeritus of English at Miami (Ohio) University in Oxford, Ohio. He is a founding editor of The Miami University Press.